UKC

Any suggestions?

I've had The Magic Crack recommended at HVS but in case we don't fancy anything too stressful it would be nice to have some options. Completely unfamiliar with the area so would like some advice to home in on the classics.

Cheers

In reply to JimboWizbo:

I thought the Message (Sneachda) was a decent enough summer line, a little gritty in places but some nice climbing.

Breaking out right after the first pitch of the Message will take you on to Pot of Gold which is a ** Severe and apparently very good!

Couple of routes in N.Corries and Cairngorms will still require some amount of winter gear just now I think!

In reply to JimboWizbo:
Feck the grade it could be raining
Most of these are less than a hour and a half walk from the car park at corrie cas. Loch Avon basin is a must do visit IMO:

After thought arête mod
Final selection diff
Pygmy ridge mod
Fingers ridge diff
Savage slit sev
Pot of gold sev
Pippet slab sev
Auld nick sev
Talisman hs (longer walk)
Grey slab (longer walk)
Clean sweep vs
Prore vs
scabbard vs (longer walk but really good)
Whispers vs

In reply to Nath93:
Pot of gold is really good. Savage slit is a good line but only quite good climbing and a bit short. Prore is better climbing IMO. Fall out corner looks good as do a couple of other lines nearby ( but they are shady and cold even in summer). Loch Avon basin is probably one of my favourite summer venues in the Cairngorms massive cliffs surround a huge remote loch with sandy beaches and waterfalling streams and you can climb in the sun. Stunning!

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Great list, thanks.

Additionally, any stand out single pitch crags in the area?

In reply to JimboWizbo:
Huntlys Cave and Kingussie Crag.

Kingussie is nice for a chilled days climbing and is up out of the trees so won't be as bad for midges. Loads of easier grades too!

In reply to JimboWizbo:
Loggie head on the coast is about an hours drive away or so and is well worthwhile and tends to get pretty kind weather and little in the way of midgies!

Huntlys cave is good but will be midgie hell even in pretty strong winds as is very sheltered.

There is other pretty average places like Kingussie but I've never been.

Basically most the lower lying single pitch stuff apart from the coastal stuff will be midgie most likely and is pretty limited (Craig Dubh has a variety of great climbing but may be midgie and much of it is multi pitch) and higher up tends to be multi pitch (and less midgie but more of a problem as the summer progresses).

I've probably forgotten several glaringly obvious facts though as I moved away from Scotland around 4 years ago

In reply to JimboWizbo:

Not single pitch, but Inbred is probably the best sub-Extreme low level route in the area. The meat of the route is the first pitch but the whole thing is superb.

In reply to Michael Gordon:
I'd love to get on that route at some point. Best saved for a low midgie and climbing a bit bold / Pretty pumpy hvs confidently day

Seeing as Craig Dubh faces south I'm guessing the midgies are probably ok if it's really sunny during the middle part of the day. I've only done king bee and brute there but I really liked them.

It takes a while to get over the Craig 'death' / bold reputation of the place. Seeing many of the routes I can understand why!

In reply to JimboWizbo:
Caveat - I've not rock climbed in the Cairngorms this year so cant comment on dampness and snowfields but here are some I've done in the northern part.

Clean Sweep is excellent at VS. Quite a bold 1st pitch and a superb 3rd. Great location.

Nice slabby routes on Stac An Fharaidh. Got badly midged here!

Just a spot of sightseeing Severe (aka hidden chimney direct pitch 1) on Mess of Pottage. Better than it looks, some nice moves.

I think the great slab has avalanched now but be careful on the approach for these.
Fallout Corner VS in some guides, HS in others. Enjoyed this but the amount of insitu makes it a bit of a clipup. And obviously next door is Savage Slit.

Seeing as you have led E3 I can't see how you will be stressed at Magic Crack? Really enjoyable. Routes around it look good as well.

In reply to JimboWizbo:
BTW I think a lot of the routes I mention get more stars in the latest cairngorm guide (than UKC / the old guide gives them) and rightly so.

The best pitches in isolation on the routes I've listed are on Pygmy Ridge, Final Selection and Scabbard. (although I've not done clean sweep - it's the only one I listed I've not done - but its on the wishlist - anything on hell's lum generally requires a good spell of dry weather before its worth attempting and until late-ish in the summer snow melt from above can be a problem)

This thread should give you an idea of how much snow is left when you head up.

http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,160696,page=10

I've not done any Cairngorm HVS routes so can't advise there.

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Yeah, good point, and the first four climbs on the list are all good, not to be dismissed due to their grade.

More on current conditions here http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=589872&v=1#x7799824

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Thinking about it, unless there's a good breeze Creag Dubh is probably best in spring or autumn. In summer I think it will often be too hot and sweaty during the day, or yes, probably midgey in the evenings.